Assignment 07: Culture in Healthcare Business
Strategic Analysis for Healthcare
Chapter 16
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Health Administration Press
1
Organizational Culture Analysis
Organizational culture can be defined as the system of shared values, meanings, and beliefs held by organizational members that determines, to a large degree, how the members act toward one another (Robbins and Coulter 2009).
It is often referred to as “how we do things around here.”
A strong, positive culture can improve organizational performance, whereas a weak or negative culture can detract from organizational performance.
To say that values are shared implies that they are passed between existing employees and are passed on to new employees.
Copyright © 2016 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Health Administration Press
Health Administration Press
Organizational Culture Analysis
Dimensions of Organizational Culture
(Robbins and Coulter 2009)
Attention to detail—the degree to which employees are expected to show precision, analysis, and attention to detail
Outcome orientation—the extent to which managers focus on results and outcomes regardless of how they are achieved
People orientation—the degree to which management takes into account the effects of its decisions on the people in the organization
Copyright © 2016 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Health Administration Press
Health Administration Press
Organizational Culture Analysis
Dimensions of Organizational Culture (continued)
Team orientation—the extent to which work is organized around teams rather than individuals
Aggressiveness—the degree to which employees are aggressive and competitive rather than cooperative
Stability—the extent to which organizational decisions and actions emphasize maintaining the status quo
Innovation and risk taking—the degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and take risks
Copyright © 2016 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Health Administration Press
Health Administration Press
Organizational Culture Analysis
Consider how Starbucks brings a new barista into the company.
After selecting a person who “fits” the Starbucks culture, the new employee is put through weeks of training followed by on-the-job training and mentorship.
The key to this onboarding process is the transmission of culture, or “how we do things around here.”
The Starbucks values, motives, and meanings are indoctrinated so that a barista is a barista whether you go to a Starbucks in Gary, Indiana, or in New York City.
Copyright © 2016 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Health Administration Press
Health Administration Press
Organizational Culture Analysis
A report by the Lewin Group (2002) identified seven performance areas that practitioners can use to assess an organization’s level of cultural competence:
Organizational values—the perspective, attitudes, and commitment concerning the worth and importance of cultural competence
Governance—the use of goal setting, policy making, and other methods of oversight to help ensure culturally competent care
Planning and monitoring/evaluation—the mechanisms, processes, and systems in place to assess cultural competence and to guide cultural competence planning
Copyright © 2016 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Health Administration Press
Health Administration Press
Organizational Culture Analysis
Communication—the exchange of information between the organization and the population, and between members of the staff, in ways that promote cultural competence
Staff development—the efforts to ensure that staff and other service providers have the attitudes, knowledge, and skills necessary for culturally competent care
Organizational infrastructure—the organizational resources needed to deliver or facilitate the delivery of culturally competent services
Services/interventions—the extent to which the organization delivers services in a culturally competent manner
Copyright © 2016 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Health Administration Press
Health Administration Press
Organizational Culture Analysis
The difficulty is putting your finger on the pulse of culture.
If you are inside the organization, you will have a strong opportunity to identify the cultural aspects.
If you are on the outside, you will need to “read the tea leaves” by analyzing what is said in annual reports, by Wall Street analysts, in articles written about the organization, and in interviews with its employees.
Copyright © 2016 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Health Administration Press
Health Administration Press
Exercise
Break into groups and describe the culture of the organization you are studying.
Copyright © 2016 Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Health Administration Press
Health Administration Press